Whisper
by CrimsonMysteryOfARose
Summary: Darren's new at the Cirque. He has just made friends, Sam and Evra. But who's this new girl that Sam introduces? And what is it about her that's so....different? .takes place in second book!. M for possible later content.
1. Chapter 1 New Girl

A/N: I'm not new to fanfiction, but I just recently got an actual account and this is my first fic, so cut me some slack! (This takes place during the second book). I'm going to take advantage of creative author's license and tweak this, so Darren is currently looking about sixteen or seventeen, and his friend's ages are up to about there also.

"Darren! DAAARRREEENN! Get your lazy bum out here right now!"

A young half-vampire called Darren Shan suddenly awoke to the sounds of his best friend, Evra Von yelling at him. He wasn't especially distinguished, but his fingernails were particularly dark and sharp, and his skin was deathly pale. He was wearing a black child's tuxedo, dusty and ragged from wear. He also bore ten small scars, one on each fingertip, a constant reminder of his inhumanity.

"Bloody hell, I was asleep!" He called back. He groggily rolled out of the hammock that was in a small tent he shared with Evra. Evra and Darren lived with a traveling circus called 'The Cirque Du Freak'. It was an illegal freak show in which there were real freaks, such as Rhamus Two bellies, Gertha Teeth, Sive and Seersa the Twisting Twins, Hans Hans, The Wolfman, Truska the Bearded Lady, Cormac Limbs, Hibernus Tall, and Of course, Darren's friend, Larten Crepsley and his performing spider, Madam Octa. Mr. Crepsley (as Darren referred to him) had blooded Darren, in an agreement to save his best friend, Steve Leonard (Leopard). Even though Darren had recently 'been accepted into the fold', he refuses to drink blood (much to the dismay of Mr. Crepsley, he knows Darren will die if he goes too long without drinking human blood.).

"You'd better have a good reason to wake a sleeping vampire." He continued while opening the tent flap, "We can be very dangerous you know. You –" And then he stopped dead at the sight in front of him.

Alongside Evra, there was Darren's other friend, Sam Grest. Sam was the child of ignorant parents who could care less what he did, just as long as he didn't get himself killed. Sam had just recently become a friend of Darren's, and was FASCINATED with Evra, who was part snake, and whose entire body was covered in slippery(but not slimy) green scales, topped off with a full head of long, neon green hair.

But there was a third. On the other side of Sam, Darren could see a girl he had never seen before. She had jet black, waist-length shiny hair, and piercing grey eyes. She had the same pale lips as Sam (so he figured they were siblings), which were currently twisted into a sneer.

Darren looked down at his half-naked body. It was mid summer, so both Evra and Darren slept almost naked, with just black boxer-shorts that were available to those who resided at the Cirque as pajamas. He impulsively crossed his arms over his chest in a feeble attempt to cover himself.

"Oh, hello Darren, how kind of you to join us." Evra smirked. Darren's shock and embarrassment was obviously quite plain. "But the thing is, you can't drink my blood, I'm part snake. AND, you wouldn't anyway. You think it's nasty."

This was true. Darren had still refused to drink human blood. He had drunk blood from a variety of animals, but he wouldn't drink blood from a human. After all, the memories of being a human, normal schoolboy were still fresh in his mind, and he still hadn't given up hope of the human half of his blood taking over the half of vampirism, leaving him human(which eventually, it would do the exact opposite).

"Hey Darren," Sam piped up. "This is my sister, Whisper. I told her about the Cirque, and she seemed interested, so I brought her along." Sam was about a year younger than Evra and Darren, but Whisper looked to be about the same age.

"Hello…..Darren. I am Whisper." She stuck out her hand, but cautiously, as if she was expecting Darren to grab her and chop her (rather lovely) head off. Darren took her hand, and he felt her wince as soon as his hand touched hers. She looked up, straight into his eyes and he felt…. Melted, like she had analyzed him in one glance. Extremely unnerved, he quickly dropped his hand. If she was going to stick around, He needed to find out (somehow) what it was about her that made him feel so weird.

A/N: okay I think that's long enough, I'll update in a day or two, if I get any reviews encouraging me to continue. If not, I'll update in a day or two anyway.  


	2. Chapter 2 NOT a Crush

.A/N. YAAYYYY! Chapter TWO! 

"_Hello…..Darren. I am Whisper." She stuck out her hand, but cautiously, as if she was expecting Darren to grab her and chop her (rather lovely) head off. Darren took her hand, and he felt her wince as soon as his hand touched hers. She looked up, straight into his eyes and he felt…. Melted, like she had analyzed him in one glance._

_Extremely unnerved, he quickly dropped his hand. If she was going to stick around, He needed to find out (somehow) what it was about her that made him feel so weird_.

Weird. She was just…weird. Whisper had been accompanying the "gang" on their daily tasks for the past few hours. She seemed normal altogether, but Darren kept getting the feeling that she just wasn't…right somehow.

"He sounds like he's at a good cause to me. A bit pointless and hopeless, yes, but still a good cause." Whisper stated pensively. She and Evra had been heatedly discussing RV and his group of environmental warriors.

"I don't like him all that much," Evra shot back, "He's smelly and desperately needs a bath or a shower, or a toothbrush or SOMETHING…"

"Yeah, because you're someone so much for hygiene, you pick your nose with your tongue!" Whisper countered. Evra and Whisper bickered a lot, but it was obvious that they had taken a liking to each other.

"Hey, you two, could you possibly take a moment to acknowledge the fact that Darren's gone?" Sam said, annoyed. It was indeed true that Darren was gone. He had, in fact, gone straight to Mr. Crepsley's van to tell him about this new, strange girl.

_After a long discussion……………………………………………_

"I would not worry about her," said Mr. Crepsley, "From the way you described her, she seems harmless. You probably just have a crush on her." He finished with a smirk.

"I DO NOT have a crush on her! She's CREEPY!" Darren screeched. He was absolutely appalled that someone could even GET an idea like that.

"It seems that you do, my young apprentice, being that you are getting do defensive about it." He stated wryly.

"But- "

"NO. Do not argue with me any longer. I must get to bed, so get out of my van unless you wish for some reason or other to do the show alone tonight with Madam Octa. Gods know that you would, being that you were so anxious to handle her when you _stole _her from me not too long ago…" He said with an unconvincing yawn.

"Fine, fine, I'll leave, but I'm still weirded out." Darren replied. When he didn't get an answer, he turned around and walked out the door.

"Oh, THERE you are Darren! Where did you get off to?" Evra inquired.

"I was…um…er… Visiting…Madam Octa." Said Darren uneasily, quickly making up a lie.

"Huh. Well we're going off to the pond by that prickly thicket, are you coming?" Piped up Sam.

"Uh…sure. I'm not swimming though. What's Evra supposed to do at a pond anyway?"

"I'm bringing my snake. I haven't played with her in a while." Said Evra.

"Oh… um… I'm not going," Whisper said quickly. Darren had completely forgotten that she was there. "I um…have to go." And off she dashed.

_How strange, _thought Darren.

"Weird. Well, I'm gonna go. I'll see you two there." Said Sam, turning to leave.

"Wait, Sam! I need to ask you something!" Darren shouted after him, but he was already out of earshot. "Crap." He finished.

"I'm gonna go grab my snake. See ya, Darren." Said Evra, walking away towards their tent.

And so Darren was left alone, very puzzled. He thought that maybe Sam did know something strange about Whisper, and was avoiding him. He dismissed any thoughts of Whisper, shook his head, and headed off towards the pond, where Sam was waiting.

A/N Okey dokey there's chapter two, but I have to warn you, I'm having serious writer's block, so I guess I will actually have to write out a plot-line after all, I thought I could get away with not doing that part. 


	3. Chapter 3 The Show

"_Wait, Sam! I need to ask you something!" Darren shouted after him, but he was already out of earshot. "Crap." He finished._

_And so Darren was left alone, very puzzled. He thought that maybe Sam did know something strange about Whisper, and was avoiding him. He dismissed any thoughts of Whisper, shook his head, and headed off towards Sam._

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Many of you may have come to this show thinking it was a scam; a hoax. You may all think that the performers are simply men and women in costumes." Came Mr. Tall's booming voice. It was that start of the show, the night after Whisper came. "But they are not! I assure you all, the performers are authentic, and none of them harmless! I cannot guarantee your safety, although a mishap is extremely unlikely. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the _Cirque Du Freak_!" He finished with a flourish.

Backstage, Darren was hurriedly preparing for the show. He ran back into Mr. Creplsey's van to wake him, and to fetch Madam Octa. They had been having late nights recently, so Mr. Crepsley had taken to sleeping until the show actually started, which was okay because they had plenty of time after the show started until their act began.

Darren banged on the front of Mr. Crepsley's van door.

"OY! MR. CREPSLEY! GET YOUR LAZY BACKSIDE OUT HERE! THE SHOW-"

"Yes, Darren?" Mr. Crepsley said coolly, opening the door with one hand, and straightening his pendant with the other. He had obviously amused by Darren's franticness, and had been up and getting ready for some time. It had become Darren's routing to come and get Mr. Crepsley in this manner.

"Has…already started." Darren finished weakly.

"I am well aware of that, and you sufficiently, if unnecessarily, reminded me of that when you attempted to break my van door down. Now, young master Shan, shall we?" He said handing Darren Madam Octa's cage.

"Do you always have to be one step ahead? It gets annoying." Said Darren resentfully as they walked towards the old auditorium in which they were playing.

"I do if you are going to continue to be as slow as you are." He replied tartly.

When they reached the back door or the old, dusty building, they opened it and stepped into the back stage area. Alexander Ribs was currently onstage (They could tell from the resounding musical notes coming from the stage), and backstage Darren could see Evra, Cormac Limbs, Truska, Rhamus, and Gertha Teeth. The Wolfman, and Sive and Seersa had already performed, and were waiting in another area, where the performers went after they went onstage, which was usually back to heir vans (or cages; in the Wolfman's case) to go to bed.

Darren could hear the roar of the audience. Alexander's act was clearly over.

"Break a leg…or a few metal bars!" Darren called to Gertha, who was currently walking towards the stage. She gave him a wink and a thumbs up in response.

"Darren – hey - DARREN!" Evra whispered. He was beckoning for Darren to join him next to a stack of old boards. He had his snake wrapped carelessly around his neck and was leaning against a wall.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Darren asked urgently.

"Nothing really huge. Sam came along for the show tonight. He said he might bring someone." Said Evra.

"So what are you so worked up about?" Darren asked. People often brought others along for the show, it was nothing new.

"Well you know how Sam can be a bit stupid sometimes………I'm just worried that that little prat might have brought someone along who's not...The going to see a freak show type…like someone close to the police or something…" Evra stated. Darren's insides were ice. Evra had a point. Sam was their friend, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to know that he was really naïve, and wouldn't know who not to bring along.

"Crap. Well he probably just brought along a friend from school or something, don't get your panties in a bunch." Said Darren, slapping on a weak smile. He knew very well that he was making a fool's point.

Just the Gertha came back from the stage.

"You're on Crepsley…Shan." She whispered gruffly, gesturing to Mr. Crepsley and Darren.

"Okay. Mr. Tall?" Darren said, indicating to Mr. Tall that he should go out and warn the audience to shut up. But, he was already out there.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Our next act is very unique, but also very dangerous. I must ask you to stay as quiet as you can, and also not to make any sudden movements. Nothing should go wrong if you do both of these things. Enjoy."

Mr. Crepsley and Darren walked out on stage. He still got a flutter every time he went up there, and those hot lights instantly hit his face. The nervousness was even greater tonight, thanks to Evra. He quickly surveyed the audience, looking for Sam and who he might've brought with him. Darren didn't see him.

"Hello. I am Mr. Crepsley, and this is my lovely arachnid friend, Madam Octa. The monk who sold her to me……" and he continued, but Darren wasn't listening. He was running his eyes frantically over the audience, looking forhisy friend and his…guest. He found him, and saw who he had brought with him.

It was Whisper.

And the look on her face was sickening him.


	4. Chapter 4 Let it Burn

_A/N: Sorry the new chapter took so long, but I was having problems with my stories page, so I couldn't update. But HEEERRRREE it is! _

_Darren wasn't listening. He was running his eyes frantically over the audience, looking for his friend and his…guest. He found him, and saw who he had brought with him._

_It was Whisper._

_And the look on her face was sickening him._

Darren could here the pretty little melody that played out of the flute that was in his own mouth, and he was standing on the stage, in front of a huge audience, but his eyes never left the face of the black-haired girl in the fifth row from the front of the audience. He had been watching her since the moment he had spotted her. Most people who came to see the Cirque Du Freak were a bit unnerved by the spider act (especially when it came time to kill the goat, or whatever small farm-animal they had handy).

But not Whisper.

The fact that a huge, poisonous spider was spinning a web over a man's face whose life was entirely in my hands didn't even seem to phase her. In fact, she looked down at the stage quite gleefully, as though reveling in the prospect of watching the brave man fall, and not get back up, at the hands of his own pet.

_After the show………………………………_

Darren was absently walking towards his and Evra's tent. About a quarter of the way there, Sam and Whisper caught up with him, and both were silent. Whisper's face was now quite plain and unsmiling. Darren began to wonder to himself if the look in her face was just a trick of the light, or else nervousness. He was too deep in thought to hear Whisper ask him a question.

"Don't you ever get scared, Darren? You know, when handling a dangerous thing like that , one little…ah…_slip _could cost a life. So fragile a thing is man…" She said scathingly, "or freak in your case." She added bluntly. It was an obvious joke.

"Huh?" asked Darren. He was lost in his own head, and had come very close to walking right into a telephone pole. "Oh. I don't really get _scared _per say, but I do get a bit nervous. Even a…_freak _like me gets a little buzz when performing in front of an audience that size." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, yeah, don't get too ahead of yourself." Whisper said. She looked around. "Well, I've got to go." She said hurriedly.

"But…" Darren began, but she hadn't waited for an answer. She had run off quite suddenly.

"Well, I think I had better follow her. My mum's going to have kittens if she finds out I've been out this late... see yah." Sam said, turning to walk away. Darren didn't respond. He was off to la-la land again, contemplating Whisper.

_Oh, shit, _he thought when he finally realized that he had passed up another opportunity to ask Sam what was up with Whisper.

………………………………………………………………………

"_Darren……" Whisper mumbled incoherently into his chest._

_Darren looked at her. She was laying her head on his chest, which he noticed was bare. Her long black hair was spread everywhere. He kept looking down, and found that they_ _were both naked, with a silken crimson sheet draped over the both of them, just set high enough on his body to cover his nakedness, and hers._

"_Whisper? What the hell…?" Darren asked, horrified. But she cut him off, pressing one soft finger over is lips, smiling seductively. _

_She reached, and cupped his face in one hand, and pulled his chin down, moving his lips onto her own. She kissed him deeply, and when she pulled away, he groaned throatily._

"_Whisper…"_

"DARREN! What are you still doing in bed? Get up! We've got Little People to feed!" Hollered Evra.

Darren groaned. It was morning, and that had all been a dream. He sat up, and rubbed his eyes groggily. He remembered the dream.

_That was disgusting, _He thought.

……………………………………………………………………

That night was a night off for the performers. Darren, Evra, Whisper, and Sam all sat around a small fire, some ways away from the vans that were the encampment of the Cirque. Darren hadn't said anything to anyone about his dream…nor did he plan to. The last thing he wanted was the mixture of smirks and horrified stares that would surely greet this news.

Darren had failed to consider that it may have just been a dream…typical of teenagers. He was worried that he might like Whisper…though she was creepy. Maybe Mr. Crepsley was right. Maybe…

_No, _thought Darren. _She is creepy, she scares me, and I don't like her, and that's the end of – oh, who am I kidding. I don't know! I don't like her THAT WAY. She's okay I suppose…_

"Hey Darren, you with us?" came Sam's amused voice.

"He's long gone…off to la la land or cloud nine or wherever it is he goes at random times. Don't bother, my friend." Said Evra jokingly.

"Hey! I was just thinking…a concept which it seems, is too difficult for your two small minds to comprehend. And anyways, the vast and complex workings of my sophisticated mind are none of your business." Darren said scathingly.

At this, Whisper giggled. Actually _giggled_.

"As much as it pains me to say this, but Darren –" she nodded towards Darren – "has a valid point." She said.

"Hey, shut up." Sam pouted.

"Hey, now, no need to bicker, kiddies." Evra said jokingly.

"We weren't bickering." Said Darren at once.

"What would you call it?" Evra retorted.

"Playful banter." Darren said distractedly, as an ember from the fire had just popped out of the dying fire and landed on his bare foot. "OUCH!" he exclaimed.

"Are you quite all right Darren?" asked Sam, who had noticed Darren trying to extinguish the ember that had cruelly lodged itself between two of his toes. Whisper had noticed this also, and she looked as if she was trying to refrain from eating a watermelon after being stranded in a desert for a week.

"Oh, yes I'm fine. This ember here is just burning my flesh." Said Darren sarcastically, stamping his foot.

"Let me see it." Whisper said quietly.

"Whisper, no. You know what the doctors.."

"I don't care what the doctors say, he's just been burned. Again, let me see it." Said Whisper dangerously.

Sam still looked worried, but was decidedly defeated and backed off. Whisper slowly made her way over to him, her eyes never leaving his. He could feel her intense gaze burrowing deep into his eyes, his mind, and his soul. He could have sworn that he saw her eyes glow white for a moment, but he blinked and they were as dark as ever. He felt a warmth spread from an area in his chest all the way down to his toes and fingertips. Then, as soon as they came, the sensations stopped.

When she finally reached him, she bent down, finally tearing her gaze from his eyes to look at his foot. She lifted it up.

"There is nothing there," she said softly. Regaining her composure, she added, "You're a big baby, Darren, there isn't even a mark!"

Darren looked up from Whisper's face to Evra's, which bore an expression of raw astonishment. Sam's face however, looked grim and knowing. There WAS something different about Whisper…and Sam…

He knew.

………………………………………………………

A/N: Well there it is, Chapter four. I'm sorry it took so long, but my stories page was being mean. Also, I would like to remind you a that though this takes place in the second book, I am taking creative author's license into consideration, and modifying the time frame a bit. In the actual books, at this point, Darren's body would be twelve or thirteen. In my story, his body is sixteen or seventeen.

.CrimsonMysteryOfARose.


	5. Chapter 5 Illustrations

A/N: Chapter five! Sorry for the delay. Anyway here it is, chapter numero cinco(number five)!

…………………………….

_Darren looked up from Whisper's face to Evra's, which bore an expression of raw astonishment. Sam's face however, looked grim and knowing. There WAS something different about Whisper…and Sam…_

_He knew._

………………………………………………

They hadn't spoken once of what happened around the fire. Over the next few weeks, Darren had been watching Whisper's every move. She moved gracefully, and when she walked, she made absolutely no sound. She didn't speak especially often, and when she did, it was either quite timid or quiet, a snide comment, or reprimanding someone. She was pale, and her eyes varied from light gray to charcoal, and there were slight shadows around her eyes, with those long, black tresses framing her face, but it all suited her. She looked sick, but was still gorgeous. She wore very modest clothing, usually a dark grey long-sleeved shirt that gently hugged her graceful curves, and a black flowing skirt, or black pants. It seemed to Darren that she was incapable of looking bad in anything she wore.

Her behavior was very strange. She looked as if she always had a book in hand, or else a sketching pad and a pencil (or a stick or charcoal, if she felt so inclined). She was always occupied in her own little universe. One of the times she had been sketching, Darren had sneaked up behind her and peered over her shoulder at her picture. It was a beautiful piece, it was of a rose. He had been extremely quiet, and he made no signal that he was there, but still she talked to him.

_What do you think?_ She had said, not turning around, but continuing to shade the rose.

_Well it's um – er… nice. _He had replied, startled.

At that, she had turned around and smiled at him. It wasn't an especially happy smile, more of an appreciative one.

_I'm glad you think so._

That had been the week before. Whisper seemed to be the type of person who didn't fit under any particular category. She was unique. One minute, she would be reading off somewhere under a tree, and the next, she would be sitting between Darren and Evra, following their conversation (usually with Sam) pensively, occasionally making a comment or sarcastic joke. Everyone at the Cirque had grown accustomed to seeing Sam, accompanied be Whisper, showing up at Evra and Darren's tent to hang out with them. Darren had grown used to Whisper's presence, although he still sometimes got a chill when she was around.

She also seemed to be adapting. She was increasingly comfortable in Evra and Darren's company, constantly looking less and less like she was expecting Darren or Evra to suddenly snap, whip out a gun, and blow her head off. Even still, she looked a bit wary.

Today, a few minutes before the sun would glow orange for the sunset, Sam, Evra, Whisper, and Darren were lounging around inside Evra and Darren's tent. Whisper was seated on Darren's hammock with a sketching pad and a stick of charcoal, sitting across from Evra (who was in his own hammock), sketching him. Sam sat on the floor, and Darren was currently walking in.

"Hey," He said disinterestedly, plopping down on his hammock next to Whisper.

"Hey, to yourself, you just screwed up Evra's left ear." Replied whisper, who looked slightly flustered at Darren's sitting so close to her.

"It's not my fault you chose my hammock to sit in and draw. It's my hammock, I'm allowed to sit in it whenever I so desire." He retorted.

"Have it your own way," She muttered.

He looked around at Evra, who was sprawled out lazily over his hammock. Then his gaze shifted to Sam, whose left eyebrow was lifted so high, it was threatening to disappear into his hair, twisting his face into a knowing smirk.

"What are you sneering at?" Darren shot at Sam, feeling heat rise up into his cheeks and ears.

"Oh, nothing…" Said Sam, who was doing very badly at trying to suppress a laugh.

"Yeah, it had better be nothing," Darren said quickly, his voice cracking slightly.

Sam just looked away, continuing to smirk in reply. Sam had been suspecting something between Darren and Whisper ever since the night around the fire, though he had not directly said anything of it. He kind of liked the idea, of Darren and Whisper together. He had been dropping little hints and little comments to each of them, to sort of – nudge them along a bit.

"Okay, just about done," Whisper said to Evra.

"So I can move now? Good, I was starting to get antsy." He said, stretching. "Let me see it." He added, gesturing to the paper in Whisper's arms. She handed it over slowly, and he took it. His face didn't change for a second, but gradually it was adorned in an expression of awe. His eyes widened, and his mouth even opened a little bit.

Whisper watched his face intently, apparently studying his expression and facial features, so she could draw him from memory in the future, Darren supposed. The corners of her mouth curled upward slightly, in a half-smile that looked very Mr. Crepsley-ish. She was smiling a little bit at Evra's reaction, this time a warmer smile. When Darren saw that, he felt heat rise up once again into his cheeks and ears, but this time, not of embarrassment.

Evra apparently, was speechless. Or so Darren thought.

"I'm not half-bad looking." He said, a smile forming on his pale green lips.

"You…" Darren began heatedly, but Sam cut him off.

"Let him dream, Darren." Sam laughed. Evra promptly hit him over the head.

Darren ignored Sam.

"Can I see it?" Darren directed this question not at Evra, but instead at Whisper, knowing that she would be upset if he looked upon the drawing without her consent.

"As you wish." She said sarcastically, but Darren knew she was okay with it. He turned to Evra.

"Hand it over." Darren said. And Evra did.

It was more or less a perfect likeness of Evra. It depicted him, lazing about on his hammock, shirtless (which indeed Evra was, he wasn't very modest). His hair was draped carelessly around his face and shoulders, and the expression on his face was calm. His snakelike eyes stood out slightly, and one corner of his mouth was turned up. One arm was lying limply near his head, the fingers entangled in his hair, while the other was shown draped lazily over his middle. The light blanket was resting slightly twisted, covering up his lower half, but leaving one (clothed) leg exposed. The shading was phenomenal. Darren concluded that this was one of the most amazing sketches he had ever seen.

"It's…I…wow." Darren said feebly, having been caught off guard at this picture.

Whisper was getting flustered and slightly agitated at everyone making such a fuss over one sketch she had done. She knew Sam wouldn't care to see it, being her brother and already knowing the level of her talent.

"Uh…thanks. I'll just have it back then…" Whisper mumbled, slowly reaching for the sketching pad with Evra's picture on it in Darren's hands. Seeing that she was struggling with the situation, Darren quickly handed the sketchbook over and smiled at her. She met his gaze, and sent him a little, uncertain smile of her own.

Just then, Sam found it convenient to cough, causing all three of the others to jump and snap their gazes away from each other and look at him. He smirked.

"What? You guys were getting all quiet and creeping me out. Anyway, I've got to…er…go… wash mom's car. Yeah the car. I'll just um…leave then…" and with that Sam stood up and walked out of the tent, leaving just Evra, Whisper and Darren.

"I've got to pee. Be back in a minute." Said Evra, hurriedly rushing out of the tent flap after Sam.

Apparently not wanting to be left alone with Darren, Whisper quickly grasped her sketchbook and charcoal, and stood up. Darren followed suit. She began to make her way towards the exit, but Darren caught her by the arm.

_What the hell am I doing?_ Darren thought worriedly.

At the feeling of him grabbing her arm, her head snapped up and she looked confusedly at Darren. He just continued to stare at her. She tried to take another step, but his grip on her arm held steady. He looked around.

"Darren, what are you…?" She began. Coming to his senses, Darren hastily let her go. He smiled bashfully.

"S-Sorry." He stuttered. She then blushed and smiled at him, and she walked out the door.

Darren stood, dumbfounded. _What the hell had just happened? Why –_

But his thoughts got no further, because Evra walked in, smiling suspiciously at Darren.

"What'd you do?" He asked, plopping down on his hammock.

"Nothing…Whisper just left." Darren said quietly.

"I can see that, you prat, I saw her walk out. But why did she look like she was high on something? Did you kiss her?" He said, smirking.

"Why in the world would I do that?" Darren demanded. For a third time, he felt his face and ears get hot.

"Because you like her, that's why." He replied yawning.

"But I don't…." Darren began.

"Shut up and go to sleep, lover boy." Said Evra, rolling over so that his back was to Darren. Darren simply stood there for a while, stunned.

A few minutes later, Darren had come up with something to say to that, but he heard Evra's deep and even breathing, suggesting sleep. So, he just plopped down onto his own hammock, falling asleep almost immediately, and landing in dreams of Whisper.

…………………………………….

A/N ha ha chapter five! Hope you liked!


	6. Chapter 6 You'll Be Okay

A/N: Chapter six! Whoohoo! FLUFF! SQUISH! SAPPINESS!

…………………………………..

"_Shut up and go to sleep, lover boy." Said Evra, rolling over so that his back was to Darren. Darren simply stood there for a while, stunned._

_A few minutes later, Darren had come up with something to say to that, but he heard Evra's deep and even breathing, suggesting sleep. So, he just plopped down onto his own hammock, falling asleep almost immediately, and landing in dreams of Whisper._

The next few days flew by for the four friends. Whisper and Darren had noticeably grown closer, though tension was still high. Whisper showed no sign that she was getting more normal, and Darren had trying with all his might to weasel facts out of Sam (and sometimes even Whisper herself).

Darren and Evra were content with the way life was going, they had two good friends, and the shows were going well. The same routine had been going on pretty much every day, although it differed a little day by day. Darren had been going out more frequently to do his vampire stuff with Mr. Crepsley, as it was getting more and more urgent for Darren to drink human blood.

The worry for his assistant could be seen quite plainly on the vampire's face, to those who knew what to look for. As for Darren, He got weaker, paler, and less healthy by the day. He often experienced dizzy spells, causing to fall, or drop whatever it was he was holding at the time (one more perilous occasion, it had been Madam Octa's flute. Darren would have been a goner if he had been practicing alone, but he happened to be rehearsing with Mr. Crepsley, who inevitably saved his life).

Today, Darren was walking around, scouring the area for a fox or a rabbit he could drink from. He listened carefully, and though his senses were weakening, he could still hear better than any human. He heard a heartbeat from behind a bush, and warily inched towards it. The pulse of the creature's heart grew louder and louder as he closed in on his intended prey, and just as he was tensing to spring-

"May I ask what you are doing?" A voice came from behind him, causing him to jump out of his skin.

It was – of course – Whisper, carrying a large hardcover book with frayed edges.

"I – um – I was just…" Darren stuttered, trying to come up with a quick lie. Sam and Whisper still unaware of Darren's vampirism, and he rather preferred it that way. Coming to his senses, he said, "What are YOU doing?"

"I was just looking for somewhere I could sit and read in peace," she replied cuttingly.

Darren's stomach growled. He had recently eaten lunch; the hunger was for something else. She watched him intently, like a mildly interesting television program. He was currently watching her neck, and anyone who knew the nature of a vampire's feeding habits would know what he was thinking.

_Blood………_

"Hello? Darren? You with me?" Whisper said, walking towards him and snapping her fingers in his face.

Snapping out of his trance, Darren looked at her fully. Her expression was confused; her free arm was now hanging limply to one side, while the other clutched the large, thick book to her chest.

"Uh, Yeah. Walk with me?" Darren asked her. He could swear he could see a small smile cross her lips, but it might just have been his imagination.

"Sure."

And so the walked. And they talked. They were being civil to one another. A few sarcastic jokes and snide comments here and there, but that was just playful banter. At one point, Darren linked his arm with Whisper's bookless one, and to his delight she didn't pull away. They walked into the woods, on a pathway that wound in and around the trees and eventually would lead them back to camp. The woods were nice, they weren't dense, and the beams of light that came from overhead hit them gracefully, making the scene even more fantasy-like.

They came to a clearing with a small river running through it, and stopped to sit for a while. The river wasn't very wide, but it looked like it might be deep, and it was moving fluently. Whisper walked to the single, large, shady tree in the clearing and sat down. Darren followed her, and sat next to her. He leaned against the large tree, and she laid her head on his chest, with his arm draped over her shoulders, ending with his hand resting on her hip.

_Well, this is new,_ thought Darren. Never before had they relaxed together like this…so freely and comfortably. They remained silent for awhile, just lounging under the tree, contentedly watching the creek, and the trees on the other side of it.

After a while, Whisper broke the content silence.

"It's getting late. We might want to head back." She said, gently tugging Darren's arm off of her and sitting up. Her voice was a bit raspy, she obviously wasn't used to talking as much as she bad been before they had come to rest under the tree, and her voice was worn out a bit.

It WAS getting late. Darren looked out over the tree tops, and indeed, the sky was turning slightly orange with sun-set. They had been gone since around one or two o'clock, so they must have been gone at least four or five hours.

"Yeah. Oh crap, what are the others going to think we've been doing this whole time? Ah well, I don't care." Darren said. But he did care. He knew Evra was going to tease him endlessly when they got back, and he could only imagine what Sam had in store for Whisper.

She chuckled and stood up. "I'm just going to go wash my face in the creek. I'm really hot."

_You have no idea, _Darren thought, smiling to himself.

She walked over to the river and crouched on a large wet rock. She leaned forward and put both hands in the water and cupper water in them (she had let her book lying under the tree next to Darren's still-sitting form).

Darren's eyes were closed when it happened.

He was still lounging under the tree, still feeling Whisper curled body against his, when his eyes snapped open at the sound of a panicked shriek and a splash. He leapt to his feet and saw what was going on down by the river.

He figured in an instant what had happened. She had evidently been leaning over the rock and splashing water onto her face when she had slipped and fallen in. The river was rapidly dragging her downstream, the only thing visible of her was her hand, and occasionally her head popped out of the water, gasping for air.

"WHISPER!" He roared. He was panicking, trying to figure out what to do. There was the occasional rock that was peeking out from the water's rushing surface, and the abstract tree-branch that protruded over the water, but nothing else to keep her from being swept away into oblivion.

Her head popped out of the water long enough for her to splutter, "Dar-Darren! Help!" Before the currents once again pulled her under.

He tore across the grassy clearing, quickly closing the gap between him and the river's edge. He paused for a moment, trying to figure out what to do. The he saw it. There was a long stick lying near the river's edge. He quickly snatched it up, and darted along the riverbank as to draw level with Whisper. He leaped onto a rock on the river, using all of his vampiric powers to his advantage, vaulting from rock to rock.

"Whisper! Try to grab this stick! I'll hold it out to you!" He yelled, praying she could hear him and continuing to jump from rock to rock, trying to stay as close to her as he could. She feebly reached for the branch, and failed a few times before finally grasping one end, at which point Darren promptly stopped on the rock he was on and held on for (her) dear life. The sheer momentum of the river and the weight of Whisper's body in the rushing river was causing Darren to slip slightly on the wet rock, though all his muscles were tense, and he was holding on with all his might.

He pulled her in, and when she got to the rock, she grabbed it and tried to pull herself up, but slipped and continued to be dragged away by the wretched river, screaming. Darren hesitated, horrified, as she was distanced from him once again. Without thinking, he tossed the stick aside and dove in after her.

The water was freezing, and it immediately went up his nose and into his lungs, causing him to cough ad flail about. But he heard Whisper scream, and he remembered why he was in the river in the first place.

With purpose, and as much speed and control as he could muster, he swam towards Whisper. After about a minute of frantic and desperate searching, he reached he, and his hand closed tightly around the cuff of her shirt. He then started to drag her back to she river bank. They were hitting rocks and currents, mind you, so this took about eight minutes. When they reached the side of the river, Whisper plopped down, panting, and Darren followed suit.

When they had each caught their breath, they sat up and examined themselves, or at least Whisper did. She checked herself for injuries, and shockingly, the only injuries she sported were a long cut across her forehead, and a large purple bruise on her left shoulder. Darren, however, had not gotten off so lightly.

His face was bruised, and his right eye was swollen shut. His chest and abdomen were bruised and battered, and it was very likely that a few ribs were broken. His ankle as sticking out at an odd angle. Noting this, Whisper rushed over.

"Darren! Are you all right? Are you hurt?" She asked frantically, though she knew she was asking dumb questions.

"Oh…yes." He struggled sarcastically. "I'm only…laying…on the ground…bruised and sore…I'm FINE." He spat.

His snide remark just seemed to bounce off of her.

"Sorry…" She bit her lip and looked around, as if trying to decide on something. Apparently coming to a decision, she turned back to Darren. "Stay here, and don't move. I'll be back." And off she dashed.

Now that he had nothing else to distract him, Darren looked around and observed his surroundings. It was just light enough for him to see that he was no where near where the clearing was. He was lying on a damp riverbank, in a patch of grass that was mostly mud and rocks. There were trees everywhere, and the river flowed somewhere around his feet. The riverbank raised up in a miniature cliff, about ten feet high.

A few minutes later, Whisper's footsteps could be heard running flat-out towards him. She dropped to her knees, and skidded the last five feet to Darren's side. She was holding the large book. She had evidently gone upriver and gotten that book, for some reason. She hurriedly opened it and began to leaf through it. She apparently found what she was looking for, because she whispered; "_YES!"_

She set the book aside(still open), and laid a hand on Darren's shoulder.

"You'll be okay, Darren." She said quietly. A white glow touched his shoulder and the same warmth he had felt that night around the fire spread from the point of her touch, all down his body. "You'll be all right."

And he got no farther.

He passed out.

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CLIFFIE!


	7. Chapter 7 Waking up to Confess

**A/N: I just recently checked my hits……my story page has apparently been viewed a total of 125 times…Not a ton. Anyway, Here's chapter seven!**

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"_You'll be okay, Darren." She said quietly. A white glow touched his shoulder and the same warmth he had felt that night around the fire spread from the point of her touch, all down his body. "You'll be all right."_

_And he got no farther._

_He passed out._

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"I'M SICK OF WAITING! I WANT TO KNOW WHERE MY SISTER IS **_NOW_**!" Sam yelled.

It had been 2 days since Darren and Whisper had gone on their walk, and they hadn't yet come back. Sam and Evra were currently having a "discussion".

"I want to know where they are as much as you do, but deafening everyone within a 30-mile radius is NOT helping!" Evra hissed back. "Everyone's doing all they can to find them, Mr. Tall finds it appropriate that no one leave the camp!"

"MR. TALL SAID THIS, MR. TALL SAID THAT, MR. BLOODY TALL IS DOING NOTHING!" Sam roared. Sam's voice had deepened a bit in the past month or so, and when he yelled, it was ear-shattering.

"Mr. Tall is doing nothing because he CAN'T do anything!" Evra exclaimed, his voice rising for the first time.

Sam just yelled in his frustration as a reply. He had been pacing up and down for that last hour, bellowing at anyone who dared speak to him. When Darren and Whisper didn't come back for hours after they left for their walk, Sam and Evra thought nothing of it, they figured that Darren and Whisper had finally hooked up and would be gone for a while. But when they still weren't back in the morning, they started to panic. Sam had been a nervous wreck since then.

Evra was keeping a cool head, but inside, his mind was screaming with worry, and he felt like he might explode. He was going insane with worry over his two friends, and he was anxious about Darren, as he had yet to drink blood. It was bad enough as it was, with the Cirque, but trying to survive in the middle of the woods? He was worried.

He was worried for their lives.

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_Two days earlier_

When Darren awoke, he found himself on a soft patch of grass. He could hear the sound of rushing water somewhere near. He sat up and looked around fully, so as better to examine his surroundings. The sun was just rising, the sky a pretty orangey-pink color, getting darker and darker as it reached the heavens. The river was about twenty feet away from him, flowing quickly. About a yard away, sleeping soundly under a tree with a big book tucked under her arm - was Whisper.

He slowly tried to stand; expecting pain to shoot through his body, but he successfully rose to his feet without even wincing. He felt fine. Good, even. He looked down at his body, bewildered to find only faint bruising around his ribs. Not that he was surprised he was bruised, but that he could see them……shouldn't he be……

His eyes flew open.

He was shirtless, and his pants had been cut into shorts, the cuttings used to bind a wound that was on his upper arm. He looked around wildly, looking for his shirt, shoes, and socks. His shirt was hanging over a tree branch – the one Whisper was sleeping under - blowing freely in the breeze. His shoes and socks were resting directly under it. Apparently, they were being hung to dry, which wasn't so unusual. But who they were taken _off _by _was _unusual.

Darren walked gingerly over to where Whisper slept, standing over her for a moment, watching her sleep. Her clothes and hair were still a little bit damp from the river, and her shirt clung to her body. She breathed deeply end evenly, and her face was peaceful.

"Whisper," he murmured. She didn't move, and continued to sleep.

"Whisper," He said, a little louder this time… still nothing. He crouched down and nudged her a little bit. She stirred, her brow furrowed and she muttered something inaudible.

"Whisper, wake up!" He said, with more force, nudging her again. Slowly, she opened her eyes. She just stared for a moment, then her eyes focused on Darren's face.

"Darren!" She muttered groggily, shifting herself into a sitting position, her back leaning against the small tree. He was about to ask her what had happened last night, but decided to let her wake up fully first and collect herself.

"Hey," He said, smiling softly at her, "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine…Yourself?" She replied, adjusting her clothes.

"I'll live." He said, looking around. Bringing his head back around to face her, he found her guiltily staring at her feet, predicting the inevitable.

"Whisper.." He began softly, but stopped immediately when he saw her express more emotion at once than he had ever seen her do before – She started to cry. Bringing her eyes up to look him in the face, silent tears welled from the corners of her eyes and slowly rolled down her cheeks.

Taken aback, Darren gasped inwardly.

"I know what you're going to say and think…I understand if you want to just leave me here." She croaked. She then brought her eyes back down to her feet sadly. Still making to attempt to get the tears off of her cheeks, Darren decided to get them for her.

Nervously, he reached out and cupped her face with one hand, gently brushing away one of her tears with the thumb on that hand, and turned her face up, forcing her to look at him.

"Now why in the hell would I do that?" He asked softly, but firmly. He gaze shot back into his own and she looked at him, apparently shocked.

"I suppose you – you want an explanation," She choked out, still obviously surprised he was going to hear her out. When he didn't respond, but took his hand away from her face, she took it as a hint to continue.

"In truth, Sam is not my brother… His parents adopted me right off of the street from a country some ways from here," She began, speaking slowly as if trying to word her story just correctly.

"I was a young child when they found me…maybe around five or six years old. I had been living on the street for a few weeks, having run away from an awful orphanage. At the time, I hadn't realized why my parents abandoned me, or why the matron at the orphanage hated me, or why the other children there shied away from me. I always knew I was a little bit different… but…" and she broke off, seemingly needing to regain her composure. He let her

take several deep breaths before continuing.

"After a while of living here with Sam, his parents, and his brothers and sisters, they eventually accepted that I was different, and considered me their sister and daughter, which I have been ever since." She said. She didn't give any signs that she wanted to continue, but there was a huge hole in her story.

"So what's wrong?" He asked her, encouraging her to elaborate.

She sighed, but yielded.

"The first strong memory have of discovering my…uniqueness, was an incident when I was around seven, when we were camping. Well, we weren't really camping, but it was me and Sam at a summer camp, and we were riding on the horses as one of the day's daily activities. It was all okay, until Sam's horse started to flip out, and he was bucked off. I remember the exact shade of the horse's coat, the exact smell in the air, and I remember very vividly the two seconds it took for my adoptive brother to hit the ground, flat in his head. The horse ran off, and all of the camp counselors and myself all ran towards him. It felt like time had stopped. He didn't get up. I…" And she trailed off yet again, struggling at reliving this particular memory. Darren took her hand reassuringly, smiling weakly at her, goading her on.

She nodded and swallowed hard. "I had the strangest sensation creeping from my heart, like my blood had been replaced with a warm, thick cream, pumping from my heart all down my limbs, and into my fingertips. Before I knew what I was doing, I was at his side, holding the back of his neck, and my hand was on his chest… And suddenly, the creamy sensation left my system through my hands and……it was like my hands were putting the sensation into his neck and collarbone. I just remember this white glow around my hands, and my hands were warm… it was so peculiar. The counselors just stared at me. Then Sam woke up… and he was fine! Not a single scratch on him! The counselors and the camp leader called Sam's and my parents than night and said we were a freak show…and that we were banned from there. I learned from that. From then on… it was different. I didn't have any friends growing up… and I still don't have that many." She finished. He obviously expected him to assume what her life was like, fill in the holes with guesses…why she was the way she was. It was understandable.

"So…you heal people." He said bluntly, more to himself than anyone else. His mind was racing. _How on hell do you keep something like that to yourself? How? _

She smiled sadly. "Yes, I guess you could call it that… I never thought of it that way, though."

"What do you call it then? The mechanic of the human anatomy? The Mr. Fix-It of the man?" He joked lightly, trying to cheer her up.

She chuckled, and sighed. He scooter up beside her, and they sat next to each other, much like they had the day before.

"You know," She began hesitantly, "It's kind of nice to have that off of my chest… thanks." She muttered.

"Huh? Oh… sure… any other secrets?" He asked, only half-joking.

"Hey now, I just spilled my big secret for the whole world to see… What's your secret, Mr. Shan?" She asked, smiling.

Darren froze.

_Should he tell her?_

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**A/N BWA HA HA HA HA HA! You'll have to wait for the next chapter to come! Sorry for the delay… But anyway, send in those reviews and tell me what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8 The Woods Pt I

**A/N: HELLO! Here's chapter eight! Woot! Sorry about the big cliffy…couldn't resist… So anyway, My school year is about to start and I'll probably be extremely swamped with homework and research and things like that, so updates may take a bit longer than they already do. Please know that I will NOT, I repeat, NOT abandon this story with out letting you know first, so if a chapter doesn't come for a while, bear with me, it WILL come. **

**I would also like to shout out to the few who sent reviews, you know who you are! **

**OK! On with the story!**

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"_What's your secret, Mr. Shan?" She asked, smiling._

_Darren froze_.

_Should he tell her?_

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Darren didn't say anything for a minute, just sitting there staring at Whisper with his mouth hanging slightly open. Whisper's brow furrowed in confusion, and she must have sensed that she had touched a nerve.

"Darren? I'm sorry! You don't have to…" She started, but trailed off. He continued to look at her, and then leaned in to peer into her eyes, almost like he was trying to read something written there in very small print.

"You want a secret?" He began quietly, almost inaudibly, so Whisper had to lean even closer to be able to hear him. "I can tell you the mother of all secrets." He said, still looking at her very intensely.

"What are you on about?" She asked, confused.

"It would mean your life if you told," He continued, "Mr. Crepsley would have no choice… he won't even want me telling you in the first place."

She just got more confused by the second, but of course, didn't let it show. "What is it that you would like to tell me?" She whispered.

He leaned in, and brought his mouth closer to her ear, near her cheek. He whispered to her, so quietly that she had to stop breathing to be able to hear him.

"I'm a vampire." He said simply. He heard her audibly exhale the breath that she had been holding, and turned her head, so that _her _lips were about an inch from his ear, and smiled.

"I know," She said. Still smirking, she leaned forward, stood up, and walked towards the stream to take a drink, leaving Darren sitting there, flabbergasted.

_She knew? How in the hell could she know? Nobody's supposed to know!_

Managing to find his voice, he called out to her.

"Don't fall in now, I won't save you again!" he warned. She could obviously sense what was on his mind, so she cleared it up for him.

"Evra didn't tell me, you know." She said, finishing up by the water and turning to him. "I found out myself."

"H-How?" Darren asked, thoroughly alarmed that he might have done a dead giveaway.

"Nobody else can find out the way I did, don't worry," She laughed. "I found out the night that ember burned your foot. When I… help things, I also kind of help their auras… and yours is not human… and I had seen you about to attack that rabbit… so I just figured."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "So you won't tell anyone? Why didn't you tell me? What…" He trailed off, at a loss for words. This girl really knew how to keep quiet.

"In order: No, of course I won't tell anyone. And I didn't tell you because I couldn't tell you about myself, and I didn't want you to think I was spying on you or anything." She said.

"Um…ok." Standing up and stretching his arms, he smiled her sheepishly. "So what do you think we should do now?"

"Try and follow the river back to the trail, of course. Were you thinking something different?" She asked, following him with her eyes as he walked towards her, until they were about six inches apart. She had to crane her neck upwards slightly as he got closer to keep eye contact, as he was a good seven or eight inches taller than she was.

They stood there in silence for a moment, Darren contemplating his next move. Apparently coming to his decision, he nervously reached up to her face, gently cupping her chin with his hand. She stiffened, obviously nervous, and not sure about what was about to happen, which was rare.

"Something like that," He whispered quietly. Gently pulling her chin to bring her face up, he bent his neck, bringing his own down, and softly kissed her lips. His free hand slid oh-so-lightly around her waist to the small of her back, resting in the gentle curve, pulling her a little closer. Her hands were resting on his hips, and the kiss was tender and chaste. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally pulled his lips and hand away from her face, and brought the hand that was not already there to rest on the curve of her back, pulling her even closer to hug her. He rested his chin on the top of her head, and they stood for a while.

"Okay, now we'll do whatever you wanted to do in the first place." He said softly. He noticed that she stiffened, and shifted her head, forcing him to pull his head back and look her in the face.

"You've got nerve, Darren Shan," She said, fighting to keep away the smile that was fighting o take over her features. She lost this internal battle, and she smiled prettily. He returned the smile, and finally let her go. Planting a quick kiss on her forehead, he turned and walked over to where his shirt, shoes, and socks were. Whisper stood there and watched him put in his shirt. When he was clothed, she regained her senses, shook her head, and bent down to pick up her book, which she had set down when she had come to get a drink.

Walking over near Darren, she waited for him to finish putting his shoes on. When he was done, he stood up, stretched once more, and began walking, gesturing for her to follow. She did, and they began their trek back to the camp, if they could find it.

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They had been walking together in almost complete silence, one of them occasionally asking the other if they wanted to stop for a break, for about two hours. They were following the river upstream, and they hadn't yet seen any familiar landscape, but it was hard to tell because almost everything looked the same.

Darren was the first to break the silence.

"I'm hungry, are you?" He asked her.

"Yeah, but I doubt we're hungry in the same way," she joked.

He just rolled his eyes and they resumed their silence, both of them keeping an eye out for anything they could kill and eat, for about another hour and a half. Abruptly, Darren froze, and grabbed Whisper's arm, causing her to stop as well. She looked at him and opened her mouth as if to ask him what he was on about, but when she got her eyes turned to him, she found him looking at her with a meaningful stare with a finger pressed to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. She nodded and looked around looking for what he had smelled or heard. He let go of her arm, only to grab her by the waist, and drag her behind a bush and under a tree, keeping his finger to his lips to keep her quiet. He sat her down, straightened up, and motioned for her to stay put. She nodded, and he turned away to go after whatever it was that he had sensed. He walked away, and because of the bush, she could no longer see him. She heard a rustling a few meters away, and then an angry hiss, and then a quick crack. She then heard silence, but had enough sense to know that Darren would come and get her when he felt it was okay for her to come out, so she stayed there, listening. She heard nothing for a minute, and then a strange sound, like a suction cup. Then it struck her exactly what was going on, like a slap in the face. He was feeding.

Not much later, he returned, a dead fox hanging limply from his hand, which was grasping it by its broken neck. He reached out to her with his free hand, and helped her to her feet.

"I've got dinner," he said, wiggling to fox.

Brushing herself off, Whisper glanced at the dead fox he was holding up, and then at Darren's face. Smirking, she took the animal from him.

"I know you like your meat rare and …bloody, but I prefer mine cooked. Is that okay?" She smiled. He laughed and told her to find somewhere to stop to eat, while he went to look for some dead logs to start a fire with. Nodding, they walked off in different directions.

When Darren came into the small clearing in which Whisper had decided to dine, he found her sitting peacefully leaned up against a rock, reading her book, while the dead fox sat on another rock, already skinned and beheaded. A bloodied pocket-knife rested next to it, and Darren just assumed she carried it with her, incase she ever needed it. She DID live on the edge of a large forest, after all. He also noticed that she had gathered some smaller rocks and put them in a circle, making a makeshift fire pit.

"I see you managed to find me. Did you bring wood?" She asked, not looking up from the large, and heavy-looking book that was resting open on her knees.

"Uh, Yeah. What IS that book anyway?" He asked, setting some of the wood in the small fire pit, and some off to the side, for later.

"A book on vampires." She replied, not batting an eye.

Disguising mild surprise, he coughed.

"You going to help me?" he asked cautiously, wondering what kind of things she was reading about in that book. She looked up at him, put her book away (marking her page with a fallen leaf) and walked over to the edge of the small pile of rocks, picking up the skinned fox on her way.

"Sure."

So they cooked their meal, each eating as much as they could, as they both knew that this might be their foods for a while. They ate their food and had good conversation, until they were both full. They decided that since it was starting to get on in the day, and it would be getting dark soon, they should just stay in the small glade they were in, in case there wasn't another one for a while ahead. They settled in for the night, leaving their small fire going. They each found a rock and curled up against it, using their own arms for pillows, and lay down for a while, talking until it got dark, when they started to nod off.

It had been a pleasant day.

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**A/N WOOT! Chapter eight! Sorry, it's kind of short, I'm planning on making the next chapter longer, but it might take a bit longer to finish and post and everything. Also, send in those reviews:D **

**In case there's any confusion, yes, Whisper was pretending that she didn't know his secret, and was getting confuse because she didn't know the sheer magnitude of something like that. She was hoping he would tell her… and I guess she would have been angry if he hadn't… maybe I should have done that instead…….**


	9. Chapter 9 The Woods Pt II

**A/N: Chapter Nine! Well, school started for me about a week ago, and I've got homework and such that I probably should be doing right now, but you know, This is just so much more fun! ANYWHO, There's not much else to say, so I'll stop.**

**ON WITH THE STORY!**

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_They each found a rock and curled up against it, using their own arms for pillows, and lay down for a while, talking until it got dark, when they started to nod off._

_It had been a pleasant day._

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The next day, Whisper and Darren kept walking, and walking, and…walking. They stopped every now and then to take a drink at the river, or to rest, but most of their trek was otherwise uneventful. We meet our heroes on one of their breaks, while Whisper is reminiscing and Darren is off somewhere, feeding.

_Rest Stop_

Whisper sat, cross-legged, on the dirt ground. Next to her sat her book, and on the other side of her, the river flowed fluently. Her hands rested on her knees, and her eyes were closed. She was meditating. Her thoughts flowed fluidly in and out of her mind, and after each thought passed by, her mind returned to a blank white space. She thought of the events of the past day or so: the river, sharing her secret, the kiss. Their kiss had crossed both Darren's and Whisper's minds many times, and it seemed neither would mind a repeat performance.

_Thought…_

_Thought…_

_**Rustle.**_

Whisper's eyes snapped open at the noise. Her eyes darted around her alertly, trying to decide what had made the noise. Darren was still gone, and she had to be on her guard. When nothing happened, she shrugged, and warily glanced around once more before closing her eyes and resuming her meditations.

_Thought…_

_Thought…_

_Thought…_

_**Snap.**_

Whisper's eyes snapped open once again and she sprang to her feet, pulling her pocket knife from her belt, and snapping out the blade. She stood stock still for about a minute, straining her ears for any noise at all. Her eyes darted about, and she held her blade about a foot from her body, as to defend herself, if needed.

_**Rustle.**_

_**Snap.**_

Whisper whipped around at the noise behind her. When she got all the way around, she found a young man standing there. He was tall, and his hair was pulled back into an extremely loose bind, wisps of dark hair framing his face, while his long and rather choppy bangs fell partially over his eyes, the longest bangs reaching his cheekbones. He had a slender figure, which was adorned in very dark green and dark brown robes. The way the light hit him, the shadows from his hair hid his eyes, so she could not see what color they were. His skin was very smooth and very pale. His stance was alert, but relaxed, and the hilt of a very impressive-looking sword was poking out at his hip from under his black cloak, and one large hand rested on it.

They stood in silence for a moment, contemplating each other.

He was the first to speak.

"Hello there," He said warily. His voice was very deep and smooth. "I didn't expect to find a teenage girl this far into my wood… a beautiful one no less…"

Whisper tightened her grip on the handle of her pocket knife. "Who are you? Where did you come from?" She asked quickly, the words rushing out of her mouth. He smirked when he noticed how flustered she seemed to be getting, even though she hid it well.

"I go by many names, but the one you may use is Marakel. I am the protector of this wood, it is my home. Now, tell me. Where is it that _you_ came from? Your name would also be useful information, if you will humor me." His speech was so relaxed, he seemed to find no threat whatsoever in Whisper. He didn't seem to be quite surprised to find her there either; he kept a VERY cool head.

Whisper opened her mouth to utter a scathing reply, but just then she saw a blur of black and white, and alas, Darren now stood protectively in front of her, one hand balled into a tight fist and the other one stiffened, like he was preparing to use his sharp fingernails like claws.

"Who the hell are you? What do you want?" Darren asked dangerously. He glanced back at Whisper, as if to make sure that Marakel hadn't done anything violent or obscene to her, and then turned back to Marakel, apparently satisfied.

"Darren…" Whisper said softly, reaching out to rest a hand on his shoulder, but both of them ignored her, still sizing each other up.

"I am Marakel, Lord and protector of this wood. I have been following you since yesterday. What business have you here?" He said. It seemed as thought Marakel had been practicing this line since he had started following them yesterday.

Darren opened his mouth to reply, but Whisper stepped out from behind Darren, and walked right up to Marakel, lowering her knife to her side on the way, craning her neck upwards as she got closer so as to maintain eye contact with him, as he was much taller that she was. She stopped when she was about two inches away from him, and said. "Forgive me…I am Whisper… and this is my companion, Darren. We were swept down the river a few days the other day, and we are lost. Our camp is near the West clearing, with the large maple tree. I'm sure you know it, seeing as this is your forest and all. D'you think maybe you could help us get our way back?"

_Whisper… _The word ricocheted around loudly in Darren's head, as he felt a pang of jealousy rush through him.

Marakel stood staring down at Whisper for a moment, until he finally replied to her. "Yes… I suppose I could help you... for a price." He grinned. At this, Darren spoke up.

"Oh yeah? And just what do you want? Riches? Food? Whisper? You want me to hand over Whisper so you can whisk her away and – "

"Oh, heavens, no. I just need you to lead me to a human. I haven't fed in a while… These foxes just do not quench the thirst after a while. Oh yes, don't look at me like that, you are not human, either. I can smell the vampire in you. Ah, but you, my lady are still untainted…" Said Marakel.

_He's a VAMPIRE! _Thought Whisper.

"You won't lay a _finger _on her as long as I can help it." Darren growled angrily, his hand darting out and catching a handful of the back of Whisper's shirt and snatching her close to him, one arm holding her tightly to his chest and the other held away from his body curled into a tight fist.

Marakel stood there for a moment, staring at Darren intensely. His expression changed to bewilderment and suddenly he spoke.

"Ah, you are new to the clan, are you not? You haven't yet tasted human blood yet, have you?" Marakel burst.

"N-No I can't say that I have." Said Daren scathingly.

Whisper pushed away from Darren, (sensing a fight brewing), and stood in the middle of the two of them.

"Okay. Darren, Calm down, I do not think that this man is a foe. Let him help us. Marakel, lead us home, and you shall have an abundant supply of humans, the camp is crawling with them. Just be discreet and don't kill anybody, please. Now can we stop arguing and set camp? The sun will be setting soon." Whisper said agreeably.

Throwing one last glare at each other, both of them sighed and reluctantly followed Whisper to find somewhere that they could stop for the night.

_**To be continued………..**_

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**A/N: Well, there's chapter nine! I'm SOOO SOO SOOOO sorry that it took so long for me to update… I've been babysitting a friend of mine's baby. Doing homework, and doing other things, so it took me a while to get this written out. I hope you all like my new character, Marakel! I'm really sorry that the chapter isn't longer, but I just wanted to get a chapter poster before you all forgot about me! Anyway, Send in those reviews and tell me what you think!**


	10. Chapter 10 NOTICE

**A/N: I'm terribly sorry to those of you who actually read this fic, I haven't updated in quite a while! I've been REALLY busy with school and plans and weekends and such, I've really neglected this story. I have created this authors note/chapter to tell you that "Whisper" is currently on hold until further notice. I am SOOOO sorry! I will not forget, and the story WILL continue on eventually! So don't take me or my story off your favorites or watch list! **

**THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL COME!**

**Until then,**

**.CrimsonMysteryOfARose.**


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